Collection # M 1094 CRISPUS ATTUCKS HIGH SCHOOL COLLECTION, 1937 2011 Collection Information Historical Sketch Scope and Content Note Series Contents Processed by Jessica Frederick June 2014 Manuscript and Visual Collections Department William Henry Smith Memorial Library Indiana Historical Society 450 West Ohio Street Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269 www.indianahistory.org
COLLECTION INFORMATION VOLUME OF COLLECTION: COLLECTION DATES: PROVENANCE: RESTRICTIONS: COPYRIGHT: REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: 2 manuscript boxes, 2 printed collections, 1 black and white photograph folder, 1 color photograph folder, 1 folder photographic negatives, 1 OVA photograph folder, 1 OVB graphics folder, 1 artifact 1937 2011 Stanley Warren, Indianapolis, Indiana None Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. ALTERNATE FORMATS: RELATED HOLDINGS: ACCESSION NUMBER: 2012.0155 NOTES:
HISTORICAL SKETCH In 1920, there were nearly 800 African American students enrolled in Arsenal Technical, Emmerich Manual, and Shortridge High Schools in Indianapolis. However, with the impact of the Ku Klux Klan and other influences, a separate high school for African Americans was built. Crispus Attucks High School opened during the fall of 1927. At the time that the school was named, Crispus Attucks was famous for losing his life in an attack against British soldiers during the Revolutionary War. The Indianapolis Public School Board of School Commissioners required all African American students to attend the school, regardless of where they lived. Though the general sentiment from African Americans during the time period was against a segregated high school, many people applauded the opportunity for blacks to teach at the secondary level. Prior to the establishment of Crispus Attucks, black teachers did not get appointments to Indianapolis high schools. The school became a center for the African American community. Several public events were held there. The school was able to command respect because of its accomplished staff and successful students; celebrities such as Jesse Owens, Langston Hughes, and George Washington Carver showed support for Attucks. From its inception, the school focused not only on traditional school subjects (such as English and Math), but it also prepared students to enter trades after high school. Some of the Industrial Arts taught at the school included woodwork, auto mechanics, electricity and radio, shoe rebuilding, printing, welding, machine work, and tailoring. It also provided a robust home economics curriculum that included sewing, cooking, home nursing, home management, millinery, and beauty culture. In 1986, the School Board decided to change Crispus Attucks into a junior high school, after which it transitioned into a middle school in 1993. In 2006 the school became the Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School, with a focus on preparing students for medical careers. The school building was listed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1989. Sources: Materials in the collection. Stanley Warren, Crispus Attucks High School: "Hail to the Green, Hail to the Gold", Virginia Beach, VA: Donning Co., 1998. Stanley Warren, The Evolution of Secondary Schooling for Blacks in Indianapolis, 1869 1930, in Indiana's African-American Heritage: Essays from Black History News & Notes, edited by Wilma L. Gibbs. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press, 1993.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The collection is divided into seven series: Series One: Crispus Attucks High and Middle School, Alumni Relations, and Reunions consist of reunion programs, commencement programs, Alumni Association event programs, photographs, and historical materials. Series Two: Crispus Attucks High School Publications: Newsletters and Yearbooks include a 40th Anniversary of the school publication, yearbooks, and various newsletters. Series Three: Crispus Attucks Museum includes programs for events held at the museum, as well as museum advertising materials. Series Four: John Hope School #26 contains photographs and a reunion program. Series Five: Obituary contains obituary programs, bookmarks, and news clippings from 1992 2010. Series Six: Organizations includes programs, newsletters, and advertising materials from other organizations. Series Seven: News clippings consist of newspaper articles that address both the school and its alumni, as well as several magazine articles.
SERIES Series 1: Crispus Attucks High and Middle School, Alumni Relations, and Reunions Class of 1930. Box 1, Class of 1936. Box 1, Folder 2 Crispus Attucks High School diploma, 1937. OVB Graphic: Class of 1948. Box 1, Folder 3 Class of 1950. Box 1, Folder 4 Class of 1954. Box 1, Folder 5 Class of 1956. Box 1, Folder 6 Class of 1957. Box 1, Folder 7 Classes of 1962 64. Box 1, Folder 8 Class of 1965. Box 1, Folder 9 Class of 1967. Box 1, 0 Class of 1968. Box 1, 1 Alumni Association Events and Programs, 1997 2009. [includes all-school reunions, special events, etc.] Commencement Programs, 2006, 2010, n.d. (includes an early undated program.) Historical Materials, 1967 2010. (includes alumni lists, history of the school, photocopies of photographs, student handbook, membership cards, etc.) Class reunion and group photographs, 1981 1984. Box 1, 2 Box 1, 3 Box 1, 4 Color Photographs:
Crispus Attucks Basketball team and group photos, images 1-7, n.d. 35 mm Acetate Negatives: Crispus Attucks Booster Club, 2007 2012. Box 1, 5 Crispus Attucks Foundation, 2002. Box 1, 6 Crispus Attucks Middle School, 1998 2005. Box 1, 7 Bryant, Hallie, 2003. Box 1, 8 Crispus Attucks High School Alumni Association "Jazz for Breakfast" button, May 10, 1997. Artifact: 2012.0155 Series 2: Crispus Attucks High School Publications: Newsletters and Yearbooks The Attucks, Christmas 1929. Box 2, The Attucks, 1937. Box 2, Folder 2 Attucks, 1945. Photocopy: Crispus Attucks High School yearbook page, Strong-Ziegler, 1948. Crispus Attucks High School 40th Anniversary publication, December 1967. Crispus Attucks Tiger, 1975. Newsletters, 1985 2011. (Newsletters published by graduating classes and the National Alumni Association) General Collection: LD7501.I46442 A7 1945 OVB Graphic: Box 2, Folder 3 Printed Collection Box 2, Folder 4 Series 3: Crispus Attucks Museum Crispus Attucks Museum Programs and Events, 1997 2011. Box 2, Folder 5
Museum advertising materials, n.d. Box 2, Folder 6 Series 4: John Hope School #26 School photographs, 1930, 1956. Margaret Busch (John Hope School #26), ca. 1960; Group photograph, ca. 1959. Photographs: OVA Photographs: John Hope School No. 26, 6th Annual Reunion, 1991. Box 2, Folder 7 Series 5: Obituary Programs, Bookmarks, and Clippings, 1992 2010 Armstrong, Irven, (1892 1996). Box 2, Folder 8 Campbell, Harry R., ( 1996). Box 2, Folder 9 Campbell, Roscoe "Rocky" III, (1946 2005). Box 2, 0 Carter, Hallie Mae, (1920 2005). Box 2, 1 Crowe, Ray P., (1915 2003). Box 2, 2 Edelen, Maurice Emerson, ( 2005). Box 2, 3 Enix, Jane E., (1906 1999). Box 2, 4 Gholston, James Clayborne Sr., (1940 2008). Box 2, 5 Hayden, Chester A., ( 2003). Box 2, 6 Jewell, Robert Lee, (1933 1992). Box 2, 7 Jones, William "Bill" L., ( 2008). Box 2, 8 Lester, Rev. Sherman E. Sr., (1951 2007). Box 2, 9 Merrifield, Norman, (1906 1993). Box 2, Folder 20 Milton, Samuel Jr., ( 2010). Box 2, Folder 21
Newsome, Laverne E., (1907 2001). Box 2, Folder 22 Scott, Clifton U., (1912 1999). Box 2, Folder 23 Shelton, Crowell W., (1911 2005). Box 2, Folder 24 Sleet, Thomas, ( 1996). Box 2, Folder 25 Warner, Clarence J., (1935 2005). Box 2, Folder 26 Williams, Arbrellia, ( 2006). Box 2, Folder 27 Series 6: Organizations (Programs, invitations, advertising materials, and newsletters, 1985 2012) American Cabaret Theatre, n.d. Box 2, Folder 28 Black American West Museum and Heritage Center, n.d. Box 2, Folder 29 Conseco Fieldhouse, 2009. Box 2, Folder 30 Howard University, 1985 86. Box 2, Folder 31 Indianapolis Public Schools, 2002 10. Box 2, Folder 32 Indianapolis Star, 2005. Box 2, Folder 33 IUPUI Solution Center, n.d. Box 2, Folder 34 Lockefield Civic Organization, 2007. Box 2, Folder 35 Madame Walker Theatre Center, 2007. Box 2, Folder 36 Marion County Historical Society, 1999. Box 2, Folder 37 Ohio Historical Society, n.d. Box 2, Folder 38 Series 7: News clippings (Crispus Attucks High School and Alumni) Newspaper articles, 1986, 1989. Box 2, Folder 39
Newspaper articles, 1990 1995. Box 2, Folder 40 Newspaper articles, 1996 1999. Box 2, Folder 41 Newspaper articles, 2000 2011, n.d. Box 2, Folder 42 Magazine articles, 1987 2003. Box 2, Folder 43 Indianapolis Star Special Edition, "Champions for a Change," Feb. 27, 2005. (article about the Crispus Attucks High School basketball program) Photocopy: "Twenty-six Years of Progress," n.d. (relates to the military and Crispus Attucks) OVB Graphic: OVB Graphic: